-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Six Uyghurs who were imprisoned in the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , were transferred Saturday to the South Pacific island nation of Palau , the Justice Department said .

Ahmad Tourson , Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman , Edham Mamet , Anwar Hassan , Dawut Abdurehim and Adel Noori were resettled in Palau , the Justice Department said in a statement Saturday .

Seven Uyghurs are still at Guantanamo Bay , where 215 prisoners remain . Uyghur is an ethnic group from western China .

Since January , 25 detainees have been transferred to other countries .

The United States has coordinated with Palau `` to ensure that the transfers take place under appropriate security measures and will continue to consult with the Republic of Palau regarding the individuals , '' the Justice Department said .

The 13 Uyghurs were accused of receiving weapons and military training in Afghanistan . Some of them have been cleared for release since 2003 , and other Uyghurs have been released to other countries . The United States said it would not send them back to their homeland because of concern they would be tortured by Chinese authorities .

The Chinese government has said no returned Uyghurs would be mistreated and has repeatedly warned other countries against taking the men . Beijing officials this summer again urged the United States to hand over all remaining Uyghurs instead of sending them elsewhere .

China alleges the men are part of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement , a group the U.S. State Department considers a terrorist organization , that operates in the Xinjiang region . East Turkestan is another name for Xinjiang .

On October 20 , the Supreme Court tentatively agreed to accept an appeal from the 13 Uyghurs to be released into the United States from American military custody .

CNN 's Carol Cratty and Bill Mears contributed to this report .

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The Uyghurs -- Muslims from Southern China -- went to South Pacific island nation Saturday

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7 Uyghurs still at Guantanamo Bay ; U.S. wo n't send them back to China , citing torture concerns

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The 13 Uyghurs were accused of receiving weapons and military training in Afghanistan

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China says returning Uyghurs wo n't be mistreated , warns other countries not to take them